The Heat Hockey Club finished up prior to Christmas with a five-game winning streak as the player’s part in the ‘Great Steak Challenge.’
After 10 days away from Chase, hanging with buddies and eating too much, they reconnected once again on New Year’s Day. With only two days to trim the turkey off, Coach Fox drove them through two-a-day practices (skate blade dulling sessions).
On Wednesday, Jan. 3, they hosted division-foes the Sicamous Eagles. It was an edgy, cranky affair with little like and a lot of animosity displayed. The “stakes” were high as the new challenge from general manager Lars Pittendreigh was ‘Lobster Tail Addition’ if the winning streak continued for four more contests. So part one of the four-game challenge saw the locals come away with a 5-2 victory, leaving three to go.
Heat leading-scorer Cody Hodges got things off to a great start assisted by Chad Wilde and Kaleb Boyle. Sicamous got that one back prior to Boyle placing the biscuit in the basket from Hodges and Trevor Okino. Then the Eagles struck again before Hodges on the powerplay from Okino and Boyle gave his team a lead they would not relinquish. In the second, Tommy Brown from linemates Colten Moore and Travis Beaubien added to the crustacean on the side plate.
Finishing up scoring in the third was Alberta’s steak-loving Braden Hughes from Hodges and Boyle. Michael Byer stopped 30 of 32 to give his teammates a chance for victory, especially in the third when he was “shelled” with 13 shots, stopping them all.
The boys rematch in Sicamous on the 7th was cancelled due to weather, but they have two at home, Saturday the 10th at 7 p.m. versus the talented Summerland Steam and then Sunday the 11th versus division rivals the 100 Mile House Wranglers.
